Beadle's not about

I feel sad that this entertainer – who was best known for playing pranks on people – has died. It was pneumonia that got him; he'd survived two bouts of cancer. He was only 59.

Jeremy Beadle was often berated. I don't know why, but I suppose it could be that he sometimes looked as though he was smugly enjoying others' mishaps (even though they were harmless). I grew up in the 1980s and recall finding his television shows funny – they attracted around 15 million viewers. Game for a Laugh was good entertainment – my family sat around and laughed together at the antics on screen, and that's no bad thing. He was a good radio presenter, too.

But whether people liked him or not, you cannot argue that the loss of a man who quietly raised a mind-blowing £100 million for charity is indeed tremendous. He was awarded an MBE for his good work, and rightly so.

Photo: PA